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44 AUGUST 2015 | FUEL OIL NEWS | www.fueloilnews.com HVAC/ HYDRONICS W e got some mail after the last article on gauges and it was mostly about the "urban legends" surrounding Riello pumps. A lot of what's wrongly said about these pumps is pure BS from many who just prefer to believe what they hear from an idiot who really doesn't know the pump at all. Over the years I've heard a lot of stories about this pump that just are simply not true. First, is "that it won't do what a Suntec will do on vacuum." Not true! See the Riello and Suntec designs are essentially the same since both products share the "Roto- Roll"® crescent shaped gear-set, Figure 1. "The Riello pump doesn't have the same vacuum capability as a Suntec;" that's wrong since if they share the same gear-set they have to work the same. The gear-set is the heart of the pump. That heart is what pumps the life blood of the industry, the oil. With the fuel concoctions of today a modern pump faces many challenges that may damage it or at least make it work harder. But if we work within the guidelines of what these pumps can do with these mixtures, we can get pumps to work well. We all know that a single-stage pump will work against six inches of vacuum on a single line—that's a universal number for all pumps and what's in the textbooks. Most of us are avoiding installing or replacing two-pipe systems due to environmental concerns and that's a good thing. Another reason for avoiding two-pipe systems is also that there are just better ways to do it like oil de-aerators (Tigerloop), Figure 2, and boost systems, Figure 3. With today's fuels my policy is to teach not to exceed more than 11 inches of vacuum. That's not in most books but most of those same books have not been updated to reflect today's fuels. The only book that is up-to-date on pumps is our Advanced Residential Oilburners. Back to the Riello pump. Last time we spoke of the "power vacuum bleed" the ques- tions was "how do you do that to a Riello?" Well you need a few items to pull it off correctly. The first is our #111 RIELLO Deviator Switch, Figure 4. The switch is based on a procedure I first learned at Riello's factory school in Italy. The procedure is a Riello pump priming technique that we've taught in our seminars since 1982 and shown in my Riello books since 1995. When used (and done correctly) the procedure is fool-proof. The process requires the #111 Deviator (priming) Switch and my clear instructions for use. There are a lot of really bad urban legends about the RIELLO pump out there, but when properly installed, and more importantly primed, they will do anything any other single-stage pump is capable of and that's a FACT! Read my article on priming using the "power vacuum bleed" procedure again, it works with any brand of pump. Riello Pumps BY GEORGE LANTHIER* Figure 1 Figure 2 Figure 3 Figure 4